Fire extinguisher



June 1932- A. o. BONIFACE FIRE EXTINGUISHER Original Filed Aug. 20, 1925 INVENTOR.

:2. BY g 2 5 ATTORNEY Patented June 14, 1932 NITED srAEs TENT FEE ADDISON 0. BONIFAGE, 0F UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN LA FRANCE AND FOAMITE CORPORATION, A. CORPORATION .OF NEW YORK FIRE EXTINGUISHER Application filed August 20, 1925, Serial No. 51,277. Renewed May 5, 1930.

The object of this invention is to improve the operation of invertible foam type fire extinguishers and to make it easier to assemble them. The invention consists in a simplified means of controlling the manner of initial and subsequent mixing contact of the two foam-making solutions in the extinguisher, as hereinafter disclosed and pointed out in the appended claims, which means has also the effect of promoting ease of assembly.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a conventional type of invertible foam-type fire extinguisher having the invention applied,

vided wit-h a pressure equalizer tube 4, which is fixed to the partition 1 and forms a gas Fig. 1 being an elevation partly in axial section, and Fig. 2 a crosssection, line II-II.

The domed top foam-type extinguisher taken for illustration will be recognized as of customary form and construction except for the presence therein of an interior transverse partition plate, marked 1, which is secured to the outer container and surrounds the upper part of the removable inner container'2, forming therewith an annular opening marked 3, which preferably constitutes the main solution outlet from the outer container, and is here shown as the sole such outlet. On the inversion of the extinguisher, the foam-making solution of the outer container pours through this annular passage into the space on its opposite or upper side which may be called the .mixing chamber and simultaneously, the solution of the inner container pours into the same mixing chamber past the gravity stopple which is unseated on inversion. It will be seen that one of the effects of the annular outlet 3 is to hold back the outer or basic solution so that it cannot reach the outlet end of the outer container as freely as if the partition were not present. This restraint is beneficial to the foam and tends to avoid the entrance of unmixed basic solution into the outlet hose and the'consequent initial discharge of liquid instead of foam therefrom. Such restraint and its beneficial effect will obviously accrue from the use of shown in the drawing. the usual gravity-stopple, in the present case,

a partition plate providing an outlet of other than annular shape, but when the outlet is annular, as shown, the initial and subsequent mixing of the solutions is found to be improvedand the expelling gas pressure very quickly developed, giving rise to an immediate foam stream of excellent range. And moreover the process of introducing the inner container is much facilitated since it is easily passed through the large diaphragm passage and is not required to engage or make a joint with its margin as heretofore.

The outer container is desirably alsoproin very large sized extinguishers. The inner container may therefore be of exactly the same design as now commonly in use, and as This container has although the stopple might be externally operated if desired, in which case the inner container would be normally open, i. e. in position to permit solution flow from the container except during transportation, and it has the usual open cage-structure above the stopple by means of which the stopple is con fined and the inner container supported in the filling neck of the outer container, when inserted, as it readily may be, through the filling opening and the partition opening until it seats in holding means in the bottom of the outer container. This is all clear in the drawing, and with this construction it will be understood that the inner solution pours freely and solely by gravity into the mixing chamber, without restraint except that represented by its stopple opening. Regardless of which type of stopple is employed both containers are open to the mixing chamber on tipping of the extinguisher, i. e. solution may then flow from both containers to the mixing chamber. This flow in the case of both solutions is both initially and subsequently a gravity fiow. By this invention therefore, it is possible to improve the action of a standard foam extinguisher by the simple and inexpensive addition thereto of the partition plate, or preferably by adding such plate with an equalizer tube, and without changing or redesigning any other part of the device, although it will be understood that the virtues of the annular solution outlet will be obtained, whether additional. features are employed with it or not.

Partitions have heretofore been used in foam type extinguishers in substantially the same position in the outer container as herein shown and for the purpose of defining a mixing space in the upper part of the outer container, but in no case, of which I am aware, has such av partition been used with the standard desi n of non-pressureequalized and opencage inner container, as above explained. Moreover, in those prior extinguishers of the said design in which the parts are mutually organized to produce first contact of the two solutions solely by their gravitational flow on tipping of the extin guisher and in which the inner container is removable through a central opening in the partition plate, the annular crevice therebetween has not been the intended or princi- 'pa'l outlet for the basic solution nor large enough for that purpose and has not in fact been larger than necessary to provide easy removability of the inner container and it has been common to place collars or screw-threads on the inner container to close such crevice and thus compel the solution flow to take place elsewhere as by a single hole placed at one side of the inner container. And if, in any foam-type extinguisher provided with such a partition plate, through a central opening in which the inner container was removable, the annular crevice or opening were made large enough to be the principal outlet, provision was not made for causing solutions to flow simultaneously from their respective containers into contact ith each other so as to produce initial foam discharge from the mixing chamber.

The phrase open on tipping of the extinguisher used in some of the claims with reference to the inner container is not to be understood as implying that the inner container must be closed when upright, or that there must be a gravity stopple automatically freeing the opening on tipping.

I claim,

1. In a tipping foam-type extinguisher having an outer container and an inner tubular container for the respective foam-making solutions and having a filling opening, and the inner container having a cage supported in said opening, a partition provided in said outer container through which and through said filling opening said inner container is insertable and removable and which defines a mixing chamber by dividing off the end of the extinguisher from the outer solution container and which terminates short of the inner container to provide between the same and itself an open annular solution discharge outlet to the mixing chamber which chamben has a foam discharge outlet, said inner solution container having its discharge outlet to the mixing chamber located near the discharge outlet thereto of the outer container, both said outlets being open on tipping of the extinguisher and all said parts being mutually organized to produce first contact of the two solutions solely by their gravitational flow on tipping of the extinguisher and as they enter the mixing chamber, the means of outlet for the respective solutions from each container to said mixing chamber being of such relative areas as to produce such a mixture of the solutions as will produce a good foam.

2. In a tipping foam fire extinguisher, an outer receptacle having a domed top and foam discharge outlet, an interior transverse diaphragm secured therein adjacent the base of the dome and forminga mixing chamber with said dome, an inner container insertable through a filling opening in said dome and also through a central solution outlet opening in said diaphragm and adapted to form a restricted annular passage with said diaphragm, means at the bottom of the outer container forming a seat to support the inner container, a stopple, and a stopple seat therefor in said inner container, the outlet of the inner container to the mixing chamber being substantially at the level of the delivery opening between the diaphragm and the inner container whereby the solutions have their initial contact close to their respective points of entrance into said mixing chamber, and the means of outlet for the respective solutions from each container to said mixing chamber being of such relative areas as to produce such a mixture of the solutions as will produce a good foam, all said parts being mutually organized toproduce first contact of the two solutions solely by their gravitational flow on tipping the extinguisher.

3. A tipping foam-type extinguisher-comprising an outer container for one of the foam-making solutions having a filling opening, an inner container for another of the foam-making solutions having a cylindrical liquid-holding part and having a cage structure occupying and supported in and by said opening and insertable and removable therethrough, and a cross partition in said outer container dividing off therefrom a mixing chamber having a foam discharge outlet, the

inner container having means of outlet to the mixing chamber and said partition defining with the peripheral surface of the inner container an annular opening constituting the main discharge opening from the outer container to the mixing chamber and being interposed between the body of solution in the outer container and said foam discharge outlet and arranged to constrain the main flow of solution from the outer container to a restricted stream surrounding the initial and subsequent flow of solution from the inner container into contact therewith, on and after tipping of the extinguisher, said partition being to such an extent imperforate as will prevent excessive initial rush of solution from the outer container to the foam outlet with consequent initial discharge from the extinguisher of liquid instead of foam, and the means of outlet for the respective solutions from each container to said mixing chamber being of such relative areas as to produce such a mixture of the solutions as will produce a good foam, all said parts being mutually organized to produce first contact of the two solutions solely by their gravitational flow on tipping of the extinguisher.

4:. A tipping foam-type extinguisher comprising an outer container for one of the foam-making solutions having a filling opening, an inner container for another of the foam-making solutions having a cylindrical liquid-holding part and having a cage struc ture occupying and supported in and by said opening and insertable and removable therethrough, and means at the bottom of the outer container forming a seat to support the inner container, said inner container being devoid of any equalizing tube, and a cross partition in said outer container dividing 01f therefrom a mixing chamber having a foam discharge outlet, the inner container having means of outlet to the mixing chamber and said partition defining with the peripheral surface of the inner contain-er an annular opening constituting the main discharge opening from the outer container to the mixing chamber and being interposed between the body of solution in the outer container and said foam discharge outlet and arranged to constrain the main flow of solution from the outer container to a. restricted annular stream surrounding the initial and subsequent flow of solution from the inner container into contact therewith, on and after tipping of the extinguisher, said partition being to such an extent imperforate as will prevent excessive initial rush of solution from the outer container to the foam outlet with a consequent initial discharge from the extinspecification.

ADDISON O. BONIFACE. 

